Alton High School music program’s support doubles from craft vendors

Nathan Woodside, For The Telegraph

Published
6:34 pm CDT, Sunday, March 26, 2017

Attendees of Olde Alton Arts and Crafts Fair peruse one of the 100 booths that packed the hallways of Alton High School Saturday. The annual event, including a pancake breakfast, raised approximately $2,500 for the Alton Band and Orchestra Builders program. less

Attendees of Olde Alton Arts and Crafts Fair peruse one of the 100 booths that packed the hallways of Alton High School Saturday. The annual event, including a pancake breakfast, raised approximately $2,500 for ... more

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Attendees of Olde Alton Arts and Crafts Fair peruse one of the 100 booths that packed the hallways of Alton High School Saturday. The annual event, including a pancake breakfast, raised approximately $2,500 for the Alton Band and Orchestra Builders program. less

Attendees of Olde Alton Arts and Crafts Fair peruse one of the 100 booths that packed the hallways of Alton High School Saturday. The annual event, including a pancake breakfast, raised approximately $2,500 for ... more

Alton High School music program’s support doubles from craft vendors

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ALTON — Supporting 830 young area musicians, Alton Band and Orchestra Builders (ABOB) continues to flourish thanks to involvement from local crafters and artists.

On Saturday, more than 100 small businesses packed the halls of Alton High School for the annual Olde Alton Spring Vendor and Craft Show.

“We are double the size this year than last year,” event chair Jill Mitchell said.

Along with the power of promotion through social media, Mitchell said the increased interest has a lot to do with the level of alumni involvement.

“It’s fun to come back and be part of it,” Mitchell noted. “I, myself, am an AHS alumni. We have vendors who are alumni, we have former students and parents who like to come back through the school and shop.”

ABOB alumni also remain active in the program’s support, in the tradition of keeping AHS one of the top musical performance school systems in the state.

“Alton has always had a very good music program,” Mitchell said, who was in the program herself, and now her son, Benjamin, follows in her footsteps.

Several vendors who participated Saturday had already signed up and paid for a spot again next year. The event will be open longer — 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. — in 2018.

Proceeds from ABOB events help fund student band trips. The Alton Marching 100 is travelling to Nashville, next week, for example.

“We help with their uniforms, we help with their instruments; when something breaks, we’ll replace them or fix them, as well,” Mitchell said.

AHS orchestra treasurer Cindy Kirbach began her role with the program 20 years ago.

“We continue to fund the music where maybe the school isn’t able to do as much as they used to,” she said. “Thanks to the support of the community and parents, we’re still able to put through some excellent musicians.”

Kirbach said she hoped $1,500 would be raised Saturday, but that number topped $2,500.

Aimee and Brad Parks as vendors Saturday sold their homemade products labeled State Street Soap Co. They started the venture in 2015 as an experiment to help their son’s overly-sensitive skin. It has since blossomed into a full boutique line of all-natural soaps, fizzes and bubble baths.

“No chemicals, no irritants, it’s totally natural,” Aimee Parks said. “We created it because we had a need for it, but then we saw how many others had a need for it, and it just kept going.”

While their products are carried at the Gift Box in Alton, events such as Saturday’s craft show present the “face to face” element of the business the couple said they prefer. It also helps out a program they believe in.

“We see all the same people,” Aimee Parks said. “People expect us to be here and it’s great to have the return customers.”